breakfast bowls – trying new things in the morning.
Viper eats the same thing every.day. for breakfast. His home made cereal mix and milk. Maybe he refills his bowl a few times, but it’s always that – no real variation in his first meal of the day. So boring.
Actually, I admit I used to be the same. It would always be a morning bowl of porridge in Winter, and maybe yoghurt & muesli in the warmer months. Yes, I used to be a boring-breakfaster. I think my morning-creativity has come about mainly because I have more TIME in the mornings – I’m not usually rushing off anywhere, just hanging with Misty. I appreciate the fact that the morning is a hectic time for most, so the ideas I’m going to share with you today are actually super quick to whip up (if you do a little planning & preparation). When I get a spare minute in the kitchen, I always try and cook extra to stash away in the fridge for quick meals during the week – preparing a pot of quinoa, soaking buckwheat, roasting sweet potatoes and so on. It really makes life easier.
If you follow me on Face Book – you would have seen me posting my breakfasts for the past few days. I’m really into breakfast “bowls” at the moment – a sort of cereal-esque style meal, but with way more exciting ingredients, and a few interesting not-of-the-norm breakfast foods.
I have left these recipes pretty “loose” if you get what I mean – customise to your own likes/what ingredients you have on hand – makes for creative breakfasts, that’s for sure. Read through for a variety of options.
Sprouted Buckwheat Porridge (raw)
Sprouted Buckwheat Porridge (raw)
(Vegan: gluten/wheat/nut/refined sugar free)
- 1C soaked, sprouted buckwheat groats*
- 1/2C coconut milk kefir (or any other milk of choice – almond, soy, plain coconut etc)
- 2t rice syrup (or any liquid sweetener – 1/8 to 1/4t liquid stevia if you are that way inclined)
- Pinch sea salt
- 1/2t vanilla extract
- Whizz all the ingredients together in a food processor until (relatively) smooth – the buckwheat will retain a slight texture, which is all part of the charm.
- Top with some of the following Slow Cooker Apple-Nana Butter, or with dried fruit, chopped fresh fruit, nut butter – whatever you like.
Slow Cooker Apple-Nana Butter
(Vegan: gluten/wheat/soy/seed/nut/refined sugar/grain free)
- 6 medium apples – cored and roughly chopped (you can peel if you like, but I am lazy and like fibre)
- 6 small bananas – roughly chopped into chunks
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/8t sea salt
- 1t vanilla bean paste (optional)
- 2t ground cinnamon (optional)
- 4C water
- Throw everything in your slow cooker/crock pot and cook on low for about 24 hours, or until the mix has reduced by half, and it super thick, syrupy and sweet.
- You could puree the whole lot now, if you prefer a smoother texture to your butter – but I like a little texture (and again, I’m lazy).
*Chuck a couple of cups of raw buckwheat groats in a bowl – cover with water and leave overnight to soak. Rinse in the morning (the liquid tends to go a little gooey. Leave drained buckwheat groats to sprout for about another 12 hours or so (depending on the temperature) making sure you rinse the groats a few times during this sprouting process.
Quinoa with Sweet Potato Custard & Cacao Nibs
Sweet Potato Custard
Vegan: gluten/wheat/grain/refined sugar/corn/soy/nut free (depending on milk choices)
Makes 3-4 serves
- 1C cooked sweet potato (Roasting your sweet potato whole will give you the best – sweetest – flavour. Plus the skins make for great snacking).
- Full fat coconut milk - the amount will depend on the consistency of custard you like, whether you want it very fine & runny, or so thick you can stand a spoon in it. Add little by little. starting with 1C until you reach your desired custard -this can use over 2 cups of milk easily. Almond milk, soy, or cow milk are all good substitutes – just remember that the higher fat milks will give a creamier texture. I also love to use coconut milk kefir here.
- 3T maple syrup (or any other liquid sweetener to taste)
- 1/8t sea salt
- 1t vanilla extract (optional)
- 1t ground cinnamon (optional)
- Whizz everything together in a food processor until super smooth – add milk gradually until you reach your desired “custard” consistency.
This custard is delicious on top of porridge, in a bowl with chopped banana, walnuts and raisins, added to a smoothie, poured over banana “soft serve” – or as pictured - 2/3C cooked quinoa, 1C sweet potato “Custard” and 2T cacao nibs.
Creamy Cacao Bean Bowl
I really love beans. It’s sad, because they don’t really feel the same way about me. I have figured out that I had our romance all back-to-front. It is NOT a good idea to eat a whole can of beans at 9pm, and then wonder why I could not sleep for crippling stomach cramps. Beans for breakfast though, suit me (and my stomach) just fine. I find if I eat beans at the start of the day, they keep me full for ages – without the tummy troubles. You may find it hard to get your head around the idea of (sweet) beans for breakfast, but I really encourage you to give this a go – the following “recipe” is my method for making a delicious bean bowl – pick and choose the ingredients you prefer/have in your pantry:
Basic Bean Bowl
See the options listed below, so you can cater to your own tastes/what you have on hand. Vegan.
- 1 & 1/2C cooked beans (equivalent to 1 can of beans)
- 3T nut/seed butter
- 2T liquid sweetener (OR 1/4-1/2t stevia liquid for a low sugar option)
- 1/4-1/2C non dairy milk
- Pinch of sea salt
- 2T cacao/carob powder
- 1/2t vanilla extract (optional)
- Toppings: (optional) Chopped nuts, cacao nibs, dried fruit, fresh fruit slices, fruit-only jam, additional nut/seed butter.
Options:
Beans…. Kidney, cannelini, butter, chick peas, black turtle.
Nut/Seed Butter…. tahini, coconut butter, almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, walnut butter.
Sweeteners…. maple syrup, agave, rice syrup, raw honey, barley malt, coconut nectar. You can even use things like date paste/mashed banana in place of liquid sweeteners, but I would use MORE of these – for example 4T date paste, or 2 large very ripe bananas.
Milk…. almond, soy, rice, coconut, oat, kefir.
The bean bowl pictured above is made with kidney beans, cacao, tahini, coconut butter, rice syrup and almond milk – delicious!
It’s probably quite obvious that I don’t eat “normal” food – whatever that means. Sweet beans sound weird, but they taste good – I promise…. the photo above is one of my favourite desserts using beans (and tofu AND popcorn, but that’s just me). I like to be a little adventurous and try different flavour combinations and ingredient pairings…. sometimes they work, and sometimes things get spit into the sink. If you don’t try, you don’t know, right?
Do you stick to your tried and true meals? Or are you a little adventurous when it comes to trying out new taste-ideas?
trying toddler times: the feeding game #3
Transportable Toddler Fare: Baked Fruity Oat Loaf
(Vegan, gluten free if you use certified oats…. wheat/nut/soy/refined sugar free)
- 1C oat flour (whizz up whole oats in the food processor until they are very fine, like a flour)
- 1 + 1/2C apple sauce (apple puree)
- 1T chia seeds
- 2T coconut sugar (or any granulated sugar – rapadura, sucanat etc)
- 1/2C dessicated coconut
- 1/4t sea salt
- 1/2-1t ground cinnamon (however much you like)
- 1C raisins (or any dried fruit)
- 2T chickpea flour
- 1/2t vanilla extract
- 1/2t gluten free baking powder
- Combine all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Let the mix rest for about 10 minutes.
- Scoop into a lined loaf pan and bake at 160 degrees C on fan bake for 45-55 minutes, or until cooked through (if it seems to be getting too brown on the outside, simply cover with foil). A skewer inserted into the middle will be a good indicator of “done-ness.”
- Cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
This is a super simple recipe full of goodness – even Viper approved which is always a big tick. Great plain, or topped with nut butter, tahini, mashed banana, all fruit jam…. whatever your favourites are.
Just a quick recipe today… following on from these toddler treats… the theme of transportable toddler food is a goodie for sure. It’s easy to get stuck in ruts with snacks, relying on the same boring stuff is no fun.
I actually get the afternoon off today (!) I’m beginning my Post-natal Yoga Teacher Training so I’m pretty excited.
The stunning Gold Coast Hinterland….yoga….. sunshine…. inspiring ladies….meditation and learning…. a bit of “Lou” time…..wholesome fare…. Happy Weekend to ME indeed.
trying toddler times: the feeding game #2
Misty usually consumes “breakfast” in transit. We drive Viper to work at a ridiculous hour when most normal people are still tucked up in bed, snoozing comfortably. There’s no way I could spoon feed Misty porridge or cereal, so today’s recipe is all about making toddler food portable.
This recipe first came about when I was playing around with ideas for my Ebook – Friendly Food (see side bar). Basically I restricted myself to what ingredients I could use as a lot of people who suffer from gastrointestinal disorders can only eat a handful of foods (so to speak).
Rice is the key ingredient here… it’s actually a really versatile ingredient to play around with due to it’s starch content. The original recipe (using white rice) is in my Ebook, but I thought I would try a wholegrain version as Misty LOVES these little “cookies” – seriously, he can eat a whole batch in a day.
I don’t add any sugar/sweetener to these cookies as Misty is happy to eat them the way they are (and I reckon the sweetness from the fruit is enough). If you have more of a sweet tooth, feel free to add a touch of sugar (preferably coconut/sucanat or rapadura – start out with 2T).
Baked Rice “Cookies”
Vegan: gluten/wheat/nut/soy/seed/refined sugar free
- 1/2C brown rice
- 1C chopped pear (or apple) – about 1 medium sized piece of fruit – you can peel if you like, but I’m lazy and keep the skin on.
- 2C water*
- 1/2t ground cinnamon
- 2T pysillium husks (ground flax seeds or chia seeds will work here too)
- 1/4t sea salt
- 1/3C raisins (or any dried fruit)
3. Pre heat your oven to 160 degrees C on fan forced bake.
4. Stir in dried fruit, husks, cinnamon (and sugar if you want to add it).
5. Let the mix sit for about 10 minutes in the fridge to firm up.
6. Wet your hands and pat spoonfuls of the mix into small cookie shapes (you should get about 12 cookies), and place them on a baking paper lined baking sheet.
7. Bake cookies for 15 minutes – they will firm up a little bit and get a “skin” on them. Remove tray from oven, and carefully flip cookies over. I find a butter knife is a perfect lever.
8. Return to oven for another 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. They will firm up more once cool. If you want them even firmer, leave them in the oven once it’s turned off…. they will dry out even more.
9. Store in the fridge.
It’s like rice pudding in cookie form. Great for little toddler hands to grab…. and can keep them entertained on stroller-missions. Appreciated by a certain Mama with a scoop of almond butter on top.
You can use any dried fruit, or even sub in chocolate chunks for a desserty-twist.
Sometimes simple is good. Misty approves/Mama approves: a portable, wholesome snack that is a cinch to make. Hooray.
no coffee this morning, but coconut at least
I was woken up this morning with a head butt. No, not from Misty which was surprising… from Viper. He said he was trying to hug me.
It has not been a good week in our house for kitchen contraptions. My food processor drama has intensified as it seems said crappy food processor that burns out after the first use has been lost in the mail. I feel as if I am pissing money into the wind.
Viper smashed the French press coffee plunger. Not good, not good.
Anyway crappy head butts and equally crappy instant coffee early morning aside – at least we can eat something delicious, right?
A lot of people seemed confused as to what to DO with quinoa… obvious solutions are replacing the usual rice-side dinner dish with quinoa… but I actually prefer it as a sweet breakfast. This is Misty’s favourite breakfast at the moment; he really digs dates. Good boy.
- 1/2C quinoa
- 2 small apples (peel if you like… I don’t bother) chopped into small chunks.
- 1 + 1/4C water (you could use milk here if you like)
- 1/4t sea salt
- 1/2t ground cinnamon
- 1T maple syrup (or honey/agave syrup) Add more if you have a sweet tooth.
- Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.
- Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Turn off heat, chuck a lid on the pot, and leave steam to do the rest.
Date Paste:
(Makes a lot more than you need for this recipe, but is a great thing to have on hand for adding sweetness without refined sugar)
- 1C dates (remove pits)
- Enough water to just cover dates
- 1t pure vanilla extract (optional)
- Soak dates in water for 1 hour
- Drain dates, but reserve the soaking water.
- Place dates in a food processor and whizz, adding small amounts of your date soaking water until you reach your desired consistency.
- Store in the fridge… this paste is great for adding to baking too.
Top cooked apple quinoa with date paste and a dollop of coconut cream (0r yoghurt). Fruit-only preserves are another god topping option if you aren’t keen on dates. We all know I’m a big fan of St Dalfour’s.
Tracking back to last night’s dinner… transformed into today’s lunch. I love how sauces taste so much better the next day… all the flavours have had time to develop properly. I did my usual raw grated zucchini base, added some cherry tomatoes, and tossed through the pasta sauce. The interesting looking stuff on top was a semi-blended creation that occured after I discovered that bashing my old food processor in a certain way and flicking the on switch in perfect time with the bashing, it would work. Sort of. A little bit. I’m desperate.
Basically, I blended chickpeas with an avocado, tahini, nutritional yeast, garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper. Some sort of hummus/guacamole/pretend cheese sauce. It actually all worked really well together. Fancy that.
anxiety and almond pulp solutions
I’m one of those annoying people that sing/hum/mumble songs that aren’t “songs” if you know what I mean? As in I make noises which are meant to be songs to fill in uncomfortable silent gaps in conversation when I’m nervous. I also make weird noises all the time. Clicking my tongue, squelching my lips and sometimes even weird farty raspberry type tones.
I get really anxious, especially in social situations. Words are no problem when I write them, but when I have to string sentences together, and vocalise thoughts succinctly its a case of verbal diarrhea or stuttering splats. Lovely. It’s like my brain works to fast for my mouth, and they can’t work as a team.
I pretty much end up looking/sounding like I’m a bit ‘slow’… or jacked up on speed. It’s not ideal for first impressions.
The only place I don’t feel crazy nervous-anxious-jittery-chittery is the kitchen… creating weird stuff out of leftovers… like:
Almond pulp.
Found in the freezer from those sweet days when I could make almond milk.
Waste not, want not, right? Pining for food processor? You bet… but let’s not linger on things out of our own control.
- 1C grated apple
- 1t lemon juice
- 1/4t sea salt
- 1/2C raisins
- 1/2t ground cinnamon
- 1 + 1/4C almond pulp… you could probably sub almond meal, but I would add a splash of milk to juice it up a bit.
- 1/3C oat flour (oats ground to a fine meal in a food processor/bashed in a pestle & mortar)
- 1/2t vanilla extract
- 1T flax mixed with 3T water to make a flax “egg”***
- 20 drops vanilla stevia liquid
- First up, make you flax egg***
- Once you have let your egg gel up, combine with all other ingredients.
- Scoop golf ball sized “buns” into dehydrator and dehydrate at 60 degrees C for around 6 hours. You could possibly do this in an oven – on the lowest setting with the door open for a few hours until they firm up, but are still soft like “buns.”
- Makes about 12 buns.
Me and Misty ate them all for breakfast. Actually.. Misty smooshed one into the carpet, so I confiscated it, then ate the rest.
breakfast goo
Yeah, so I miss my Super Freeway already. I’m going to sound like an old-timer here, but ‘they just don’t make things like they used to.’
Seriously, I used my new food processor maybe twice before I smelt that smell. You know the smell when something is dying? Burny plastic/metal bits? NOT simply the weird “new,” smell, but the smell of impending death?
Why me? Now it goes for about 20 seconds before over heating and cutting out. Great. I did manage to make the following recipe, although it took a long time as I had to keep stopping and waiting for the machine to calm down and cool off (and actually work again).
Moving on, I’m sure a fellow Hippie will agree with me about the benefits of have pre cooked grains at your disposal. She’s pretty much the Queen of Food Prep.
I cooked up a whole bunch of quinoa (plain, just in water) so I have it ready and waiting to go, whether it be for savoury or sweet dishes. It is so easy just to chuck a handful into a dish when it is pre-cooked; it’s just waiting in the fridge ready for nutritious/delicious action. I’ve also taken to soaking oats after reading up on phytic acid… I simply mix equal quantities of oats and water, and them do the rest overnight. Due to the plethora of pre-prepared grains in my fridge…. plus the excitement of a new appliance to play with, I came up with this concoction before all of my dreams were snatched away from me with the odour of burnt motor bits. Boo. At least my breakfast kinda reminded me of cookies & cream which helped make me feel better.
Good for you Breakfast Goo:
(Vegan, gluten free if you use certified oats… soy/wheat/refined sugar free)
Serves 2
- 1/4C nut butter (sunflower seed or almond would be best here… peanut would be OK but the flavour may over power)
- 1t pure vanilla extract
- 1/4t sea salt
- 8 medjool dates (alternatively use 1/4C agave/maple if you don’t like dates).
- 1/4C soaked oats (or dry, it doesn’t really matter, you may have to add some more milk though)
- 3/4C cooked quinoa
- 1/2C milk (whatever you usually favour)
- 2T chocolate chips/cacao nibs*… or 1T cocoa powder if you have neither)
- PLUS edible utensils… aka fruit slices for scooping
- Combine all ingredients and blend in the food processor (hopefully yours does not smell like mine) until combined… it doesn’t go completely smooth due to the nibs (or chips) but a little chewing is good for you.
- Serve chilled, with lots of fresh fruit slices for dipping/scooping/swimming in goo.
So in between starting and finishing this post, I have managed to contact the company who produces my new food processor… Cuisinart. I was worried as soon as I realised there was something wrong with the appliance… you know that sinking feeling you get even though you are under “warranty.” I have had some bad experiences with “warranties.” Usually it’s just a painful procedure to even engage some companies in communication…. not so with Cuisinart* – I was pleasantly surprised at how quick to respond they were, and how polite. There is hope for me and my food processor yet.
Murphury’s Law too, as soon as I had packed up and shipped my machine off for “testing,” my old food processor starts working again… even after Misty threw it down the front steps. Ah bless.
He can actually lift and throw this… and it’s a stomping beast, a few kgs at least. Super Misty.
* This is not an ad/review for Cuisinart… I (Viper) purchased the machine with our own hard earned cash.
Happy Easter, Buddy EE
I can’t imagine how hard this time of the year (really, any time of the year, but Easter in particular) is for parents of kids who suffer from EE. All those colourful foiled-wrapped treats every direction you turn. It’s hard enough trying to keep my chocolate fiend aka Viper away from them, let alone trying to explain to a toddler why they can’t have a tasty eggy treat like everyone else.
I remember my sister would hoard her eggs for months after Easter and taunt me with them at her leisure…. I was part of the “eat-every-single-egg-on-easter-and-feel-very-sick-afterwards” movement.
“When they’re gone, they’re gone,” was Mum’s wise words. That they were. Gone.
I was never a fan of the marshmallow eggs though. I still ate them, but I didn’t really like them… when you’re 9, you will take sugar in any form, whether you like it or not. We came up with the most disgusting way of consuming these not so popular marshmallow monstrosities though…. zapping them in the microwave until they became a melted puddle of sticky, sugary, stringy goo. Scape ‘em of the plate with a spoon. If you nuked them too long, they would burn onto the plate… or hideously burn your mouth. Either way, my Mother was not impressed.
However disgusting and sugar filled my memories of Easter are… they are that – memories. Fond reflections of eating myself into a sugar coma…. to not be able to experience the simple joy of an egg shaped chocolate(s) every year is just unimaginable.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and knew I needed to come up with something for my Buddy EE. The following recipe may not be as pretty as it’s commercial counterparts…. but it’s something. Something to enjoy making and eating, and maybe feel included just a little in such a food focused holiday.
The following is obviously a recipe for those with extreme allergies… it’s actually really yummy though. You can play around with colours/flavours to your heart’s content. Chuck in a few blueberries for a purple hue… use chocolate coconut butter or add some cocoa to the filling. It’s a really fun hands-on (messy) activity to do with the kiddos.
- 1/2C coconut flour
- 1 medium sized apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
- 1T sugar (or more to taste)
- 2-3T coconut oil… start with 2T, you may need to add more depending on the size of your apple. Increase amount if dough feels too crumbly, and won’t squeeze together.
- 1/4t sea salt
- Coconut butter for dipping
- 1/4t ground tumeric if you want a “yolky” colour
- Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor (except the tumeric). The mix seems very crumbly, but when you squeeze it firmly in the palm of your hand, it will stay together….. the handling of coconut flour does take a bit of practise, but that’s part of the fun!
- If you want to make the “yolk” just take about 1/4 of the mix, and stir through 1/4t ground tumeric. I just made a little ball of yellow, and smooshed in the middle of a handful of the plain white. Yeah I’m not so much of a perfectionist.
- Place “eggs” in the freezer for an hour.
- Once you eggs are solid, it’s time to get messy. Grab your coconut butter (if it’s solid, just zap in the microwave until nice and runny)and be prepared to get it everywhere. I didn’t have a set method with this… just kind of slopped it around and rolled the eggs around in it. Tasty mess nonetheless.
At the end of the day, scrambled eggs are fine by me too. Thanks must go to Misty for donating his bath toy for the photos.
first timer
It had to happen some time I suppose. There’s a first time for everything.
We got a safe, sensible, family car. It even has air bags.
Nobody took up the opportunity to steal our truck… we haven’t locked it in about 2 years. Actually, it can’t be locked, and we couldn’t be bothered getting it fixed. Such responsible parents. We were hoping somebody would just take it off our hands. No such luck.
I think I did pretty well juggling a 3 door vehicle and managing to hoist my lump of a child in and out of it 50 times a day. I just had a vision of me juggling Misty and our old 4 wheel drive. Ha, now that would be well done. Now I have 2 extra doors, and a back seat at an appropriate height. Luxury.
Nowadays, fuel economy and air bags are sexy. No more picking up hot chicks in the car above, Viper. Not sure how many chicks he would have picked up in his 1992 Hyundai Excel in lipstick pink though… really Viper, really? Pink? Thankfully he drove the aforementioned vehicle long before we met; had I known he had owned a car in a hue similar to a salmon sunset I’m not sure Misty would exist.
Speaking of a first time, the ingredients I used today usually do not have a place in the fridge scrapings kitchen. White rice and white sugar. Nothing against either of them, they are just not frequent visitors around these parts.
When they are the only things you can eat however, I make an exception. The following recipe is one for my little mates who suffer from Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders - with food sensitivities so severe the list of foods they can tolerate can be only a few ingredients long (or short, really).
Here are a few of my other EE posts if you would like to catch up…
Sticky Rice Pudding with Toffee Crunch Topper:
(Severe allergy recipe… Vegan, gluten, wheat, soy, nut, seed free)
EE Version
- 1C cooked white rice* (see note below)
- Pinch of salt
- 1-2T sugar, depending on your tastes.
- Blend everything together in a food processor, while the rice is still warm from cooking.
- Press into cups/moulds… I used silicone cup cake moulds.
- Chill in the fridge to help them ‘set.’
- Top with the Toffee Crunch recipe detailed below.
- 1/2C sugar
- 75ml water
- 1/2t white vinegar (you can omit this if sensitive)
- In a small saucepan, dissolve sugar in water. Bring to the boil.
- Once boiling, add vinegar and continue to cook until the mixtures goes golden and reaches ‘soft ball stage.’ It took around 4 minutes of constant cooking/stirring. This will depend on a lot of things – size of pan, intensity of heat etc.
- Carefully pour toffee on top of the moulded rice pudding, and chill again in the fridge.
- Enjoy, and as my Mum used to say, ‘Don’t break your teeth on that toffee!’
- 1C cooked white rice… *do not rinse the rise before cooking… you want the keep the extra starch so it goes all gloopy and ‘sets’ into a pudding. I cooked the rice in almond milk, but water is fine for those with sensitivities.
- 1/4t sea salt
- 1/2t vanilla extract
- 1T liquid sweetener (honey, agave, rice syrup, apple juice concentrate etc) Or 1-2T sugar
- 1/2t ground cinnamon
- 2T chopped dried fruit (optional)
- Toffee Crunch recipe from above.
- Prepare in the same way as described above… whiz everything in the food processor, except the dried fruit. Fold in fruit (if using) after blending and spoon into moulds.
cinnamon buns, hurrah.
Buns, not bums.
My childhood food memories are amazing… well, the clarity in which I remember them at least. I remember me and my sister making “lemonade,” when we had to go to work with my Mum during the school holidays. While my Mum did something on the computer (sometimes she let us help stamp envelopes) we supposedly “behaved” ourselves in the staff room. Our “behaving” included stirring spoonfuls of sugar from the coffee station into glasses of water and sculling them back. We then proceeded to bounce of the walls while watching Sesame Street. Yeah, you bet we behaved.
I remember eating sultanas and sunflower seeds from small wooden bowls, sitting on a green plaid picnic blanket spread on the floor to (hopefully) save the carpet. Scary thing is, when I was back in New Zealand at the end of last year, my parents used the very same picnic blanket under Misty’s high chair. Creepy.
Weekend lunches usually included a trip to the bakery to collect a loaf of bread for sandwiches (margerine and luncheon for me, shudder) plus either a Boston Bun or Chelsea Buns.
The Boston variety – with either pink or white icing, sometimes the excitement over what it would be would be so intense.
The Chelsea buns.
For some reason I dreaded the days we would get the Chelsea Buns… I’m not sure what it was about these buns that I despised. Raisins, cinnamon, sweet doughy fluffy white buns? Most kids would love these sugary buns of glory… not me though. Actually, I think it was the cinnamon I didn’t like which is bizzare as I love the stuff now.
Misty has inherited my love of all things raisins though… he picks each one up individually, inspecting it thoroughly before finally, placing it carefully in his mouth. Then he repeats the process maybe 50 times. He also kindly shares them with Boosty. And hides them between the couch cushions and in my kitchen utensil drawers. Good boy.
I’m resisting the urge to go grocery shopping… I’m trying to whittle down my supplies, empty jars and packets, clean out scraps. Things I ALWAYS have on hand include oats, apples, and raisins. I had a weeny bit of coconut flour and cinnamon sculking around in corners of boxes, and so another ‘no baking required,’ recipe has been born. My blurry version (?) of a childhood memory.
Cinnamon ‘Buns’
(RAW, vegan, nut, gluten and cane sugar free)
Makes 8 Buns
- 1t ground cinnamon
- 2 apples, peeled, cored and grated
- 6T oats (certified gluten free)
- 4T coconut flour
- 1/2t sea salt
- 1t vanilla extract
- Raisin Jam (recipe below) or jam of your choice
- Coconut butter for drizzling
- Pulse everything in a food processor until a soft sort of ‘dough’ forms.
- Roll into 8 balls, smoosh down a bit, and make an indent for the jam. (Like you are making Thumb Print Cookies or similar).
- Dollop in some raisin ‘jam’ and drizzle with coconut butter.
Raisin Jam
This is not sweet… feel free to add a hint of honey or agave if you want a sugar hit. I find the raisins enough sweetness for me.
- 4T orange juice (any juice will do)
- 1/2C raisins
- 1/4t vanilla extract
- Pinch of sea salt
- Pulse all ingredients together until the mix forms a sort of ‘jam.’ Leaving it slightly chunky is nice for texture.
fridge scrapings vegan burgers
It’s another one of those clean-out-the-fridge-as-Viper hasn’t-been-paid-yet-and-I-need-to-create-something-somewhat-tasty-for-dinner-oh-I-can’t-wait-to-go-grocery-shopping-days. I think that chickpea flour should earn it’s place alongside nutritional yeast as a vegan’s good friend. It really is versatile, delicious and nutritious (I sound like an ad). It’s a fantastic way to bind ingredients together without an egg, for either dietary reasons or sad looking fridge excuses. I’ve got BuddyEE and his sadly restrictive diet to thank for reintroducing me to the charms of said flour. I had played around with it briefly before (see sweetie Indian dessert treat here) but never really focused on it as a pantry staple, you know?
Off the subject briefly, I’ve been reading ‘Diet for a Small Planet,’ as it was given to me by the glorious Aunty Netsky (Mother of Mopsy and all round champ) while we were in Sydney. If you haven’t read it, you should look into it…. considering it was written in 1971, and Frances Moore Lappe was onto the dangers of a highly processed diet + horrible junk food advertising + the benefits of a plant based diet over 40 years ago, it’s quite frightening. What will become of us human’s and our HFC guzzling/additive and preservative slobbering ways? When will we learn? Anyhow, the book goes into protein combining quite extensively, so it’s one of those happy accidents (not that kind) that I created a dish that reflects what I have been reading. Protein absorption ahoy (the chickpea flour + tahini + brown rice = happy well fed muscles for all).
Fridge Scrapings Chickpea Burgers
(Vegan, gluten, soy, nut, cane sugar free)
- 1/2C cooked brown rice (or any cooked grain)
- 3t ground flax seed
- 1T tahini
- 1/2t salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4t chilli flakes (optional, highly recommended)
- 3/4C roast pumpkin (or any cooked vegetable)
- 1/2C water
- 2/3C chickpea flour
- 1/3C water
- In a medium sized bowl, mix together cooked rice, flax, salt, pepper, tahini, chilli.
- Blend up the roast pumpkin with 1/2C water until smooth or slightly chunky depending on your texture preference.
- Combine pumpkin with rice mix, whisking in chickpea flour and water.
- Transfer to a small saucepan, and over a moderate heat cook mixture until it becomes thick and gloopy. This will take at least 5 minutes, keep stirring as it will stick and burn very easily. This step is crucial to cook out the flour properly and remove the bitter taste.
- Carefully, (I use 2 spoons) shape into patties on a lined baking tray. You need to do this while the mix is hot, as it sets pretty quickly…. this stuff will stick and burn you like you wouldn’t believe so approach with caution.
- Let the patties firm up in the fridge until you are ready to pan fry.
- Pan fry in a little coconut/olive oil or butter until golden and brown both sides.
- Serve with this……
Roasted Garlic, Sweet Onion and Apple Relish
(Vegan, gluten, cane sugar, soy, nut, seed free)
- 1 large red onion, sliced
- 1 large apple, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 bulbs of roasted garlic (sounds like a lot, but roast garlic is so mellow and sweet)
- 4T water
- 3T apple juice concentrate
- 1t lime juice
- 3/4t sea salt
- 3T apple cider vinegar (the one I used was double strength so adjust this to suit your tastes)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Combine all ingredients except pepper in a small saucepan.
- Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to as low as it will go.
- Cook until most of the liquid has gone.
- Pulse in a food processor, add more water if you like a thinner consistency, season with lots of freshly ground black pepper.
- Store in the fridge.
Serve burgers on buns, or nestled atop a deliciously leafy bed of greens as above. Or whatever. A good dollop of relish works a treat. Not too shabby for the day before food shopping day when my fridge is as empty as a parking warden’s heart.
Vegan. Stay at home Mum of Misty. Yoga teacher in training. Passionate about REAL food - creating it, eating it, sharing it. I can never stick to a recipe.
